HOW TO CUT THE HIGH COST OF TOBACCO PRODUCTION IN 2022

Transplants await transfer to fields. Is it possible that a farmer could grow an average crop of tobacco and sell it for the average prices and still not make back the money he spend on inputs thanks to their rising costs? A scary thought, indeed, and at this point, the only strategy is going to be to keep production costs as low as possible. TFN will share any time a good one shows up. Including the three that follow.  TIPS FOR MINIMIZING PRODUCTION COSTS          This is no year to be experimenting with unproven inputs, says Matthew Vann, N.C. Extension tobacco specialist. “Stay with the practices that have proven their worth. You can do your own testing in years when the outlook is better.”        This may be the year to save money on phosphate and potash by carefully following soil test recommendations, says Andy Bailey, Kentucky-Tennessee Extension dark tobacco specialist. “Two thirds of Kentucky soil tests from tobacco fields--analyzed by the University of Kentucky soil lab each year-- will recommend zero phosphorus needed, and one third will recommend zero potassium needed,” he says Bailey. ”Follow those recommendations to save costs.”        For the next crop, plan to go the extra mile on tray sanitation once your greenhouses are empty. CROP NOTES: --Flue-cured--There’s been no transplanting so far in N.C., says Vann. “I know two or three growers who want to start on April 5 or 6. But morning temperatures may be too cold for that.” Farmers in N.C. had a fairly good greenhouse season, he says. “A good crop of plants should be going to the field.” --Dark--Seeding is nearly finished in the Black Patch. “We should be done next week. I haven’t seen any clipping, but it should start soon,” says Bailey. Seeding started a little late, in part because some media wasn’t available. There has also been some chilling as daytime temperature sometimes got to 85 degrees while night temperatures reached 55 degrees, a situation that can cause chilling.   In other tobacco news: A shift to dark types: Some shift from burley to the dark types has been observed. But it is not a case of dark moving out of the tra-ditional area of Kentucky and Tennessee. Instead, farmers who have grown dark types along with burley are dropping their burley and making up some or all of the difference with dark.   New tobacco pathologist in Virginia: Yuan Zeng will begin work as tobacco pathologist stationed at the Southern Piedmont Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Blackstone by August 12. Zeng, a graduate of Beijing Forestry University, China, earned three graduate degrees at Auburn. She will be performing research, Extension and teaching responsibilities on a number of field crops, including corn and soybeans as well as tobacco. THE NEW USDA PROSPECTIVE PLANTING REPORT        --announced March 31--projects 15 and 14 percent increases in acreage respectively for fire-cured and dark air-cured types but only two and one percent increases for flue-cured and burley. Tobacco of all types was projected up three percent. Details follow: FLUE-CURED                                     North Carolina, 126,000 acres, up five percent over last year. Virginia, 12,500 acres, down 14 percent. Georgia, 8,000 acres, same as last year. South Carolina, 6,500 acres, down 14 percent. United States, 153,000 acres, up two percent.       BURLEY                                                      Kentucky, 36,000 acres, up three percent. Tennessee, 3,200 acres, up 10 percent. Pennsylvania, 1,800 acres, down 28 percent. Virginia, 300 acres, down 17 percent. North Carolina, 200 acres, down 20 percent. United States 41,500 acres, up one percent.       FIRE-CURED Kentucky, 10,000 acres, up 15 percent. Tennessee, 6,600 acres. 10 percent. Virginia, 350 acres, up 106 percent. United States, 16,950 acres, up 14 percent.      DARK AIR-CURED                                                           Kentucky, 7,200 acres, up 18 percent. Tennessee, 4,800 acres, up 20 percent. United States, 12,000 acres, 19 percent.      CIGAR FILLER: Pennsylvania Seedleaf (Pennsylvania only). 2,600 acres, up four percent.      SOUTHERN MARYLAND: Pennsylvania only, 250 acres, down 29 percent.   ALL TOBACCO: United States, 226,300 acres, up three percent.